An appeal has been filed in the Sessions Court against the five-month sentence given to Narmada Bachao Andolan leader and activist Medha Patkar in a 23-year-old criminal defamation case. Recently, Metropolitan Magistrate Raghav Sharma sentenced Medha Patkar to five months imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh. Patkar has since filed an appeal against this verdict.
The court noted that a one or two-year sentence would not be excessive, considering Patkar’s age and health condition. Medha Patkar was convicted on May 24 under Section 500 of the IPC. Delhi’s current Lieutenant Governor, Vinay Kumar Saxena, had filed the criminal defamation case against her in 2001 when he was the head of the Ahmedabad-based NGO, National Council for Civil Liberties.
During the sentencing hearing, Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena’s lawyer demanded the maximum punishment for Patkar. In contrast, Patkar’s lawyer highlighted her significant contributions to society, numerous awards, and advanced age, advocating for her release based on good conduct.
Saxena had lodged the defamation complaint against Patkar in an Ahmedabad court on November 25, 2000, referencing a press note from Patkar titled “Deshbhakt ka Asli Chehra” (The Real Face of a Patriot). The press note alleged that Saxena, upset with hawala transactions, traveled to Malegaon himself. It claimed that Saxena praised the NBA and issued a cheque for Rs 40,000, which later bounced as the account did not exist. Patkar further described Saxena as a coward rather than a patriot.
The court’s decision stated that Patkar’s actions were deliberate and unfortunate, aimed at tarnishing Saxena’s image. This, according to the court, caused significant damage to his reputation. The allegations were deemed not only defamatory but also fabricated to incite negative perceptions. Furthermore, the claim that Saxena was mortgaging the people of Gujarat and its resources to foreign interests was seen as a direct attack on his integrity and public service.
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